Like many Australian men their age, John Hogg and his twin brother George were both conscripted into the army during the Vietnam War.
Along with their father who was in the air force shortly after World War II, all three men served in the military.
Yet unlike the other two, John never had the medals to prove it.
“It’s not like I was in any kind of dispute with the government, I just never applied,” explained the 75-year-old Altona Meadows resident of why he never received the National Service Medal given to all Vietnam War conscripts and the Australian Defence Medal given to all who serve in the armed forces.
John’s time in the army was brief and involved being stationed at Puckapunyal near Seymour, rather than being sent to Vietnam.
And given national service was compulsory and controversial, applying for medals that commemorated it wasn’t high on his agenda when he left as a 20-year-old in 1970.
“It just got on with my life,” he recalled of his attitude at the time.
Over the next half a century that life involved raising a family in Altona Meadows and later being elected deputy mayor of Hobsons Bay council.
He has since been replaced on council by his daughter Diana Grima, who earlier this year he accompanied to a seniors and pensioners outreach workshop run by federal Gellibrand MP Tim Watts.
“My daughter who was aware of it (not having his service medals), said “why don’t you ask?” recalled John, who then did just that.
After waiting 55 years to apply, it took barely five weeks for John’s medals to arrive.
“Despite what you think of war it’s like your country saying thank you,” said John of how it felt to finally have his service recognised and to join his father and brother too.
“Me receiving a medal, it was like the three of us have done it. ”
